Inflammatory speeches mark Operation Bluestar anniversary

Amritsar, June 4 (IANS) An inter-faith ‘minority conclave’ to mark the 24th anniversary of Operation Bluestar at the Golden Temple complex turned out to be a government bashing exercise with inflammatory speeches being delivered here Wednesday. The conclave was organized by separatist Sikh organizations like Dal Khalsa and others to mark the anniversary of the army operation launched June 1984 to flush out terrorists from inside the Golden Temple complex that houses Harmandir Sahib - the holiest of Sikh shrines.

Radical Sikh leaders and representatives from other communities like Muslims and Christians addressed the meet.

The conclave passed a resolution seeking legislation by parliament to protect the sanctity of religious places.

Separatist Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who was put under house arrest by the Jammu and Kashmir police earlier this week to prevent him from attending the conference, addressed the gathering live over phone from his residence in Sopore near Srinagar.

He said that minorities were being targeted by the government.

“Among the issues discussed was the use of religious places for political purposes. Representatives of Sikh, Muslim and Christian faiths demanded the right to sanctuary for political and social activists and the right to sanctity of religious places,” Dal Khalsa general secretary Kanwarpal Singh said.

S.A.R. Geelani, who was acquitted in the parliament house terror attack case, also addressed the gathering.